I. B-Cell Activation
B cells play an important role during the normal in vivo immune response. A foreign antigen will bind to surface immunoglobulins on specific B cells, triggering a chain of events including endocytosis, processing, presentation of processed peptides on MHC-class II molecules, and up-regulation of the B7 antigen on the B-cell surface. A specific T cell then binds to the B cell via T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of processed antigen presented on the MHC-class II molecule. Stimulation through the TCR begins to activate the T cell and initiates T-cell cytokine production. Interaction between the CD28 antigen on T cells and the B7 antigen on B cells can provide a second signal further activating the T cell, resulting in high level cytokine secretion. Additionally, the CD40 ligand, which is not expressed on resting human T cells, is up-regulated on the T-cell surface when the above-mentioned signals are received. The B cell is then stimulated by the CD40 ligand through the CD40 antigen on the B-cell surface, and also by soluble cytokines, causing the B cell to mature into a plasma cell secreting high levels of soluble immunoglobulin.
II. The EL4B5 Cell Line
A few years ago, Zubler et al., J. Immunol. (1985) 134:3662, observed that a mutant subclone of the mouse thymoma EL-4 line, known as EL4B5, could strongly stimulate B cells of both murine and human origin to proliferate and differentiate into immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells in vitro. This activation was found to be antigen-independent and not MHC restricted. For optimal stimulation of human B cells, the presence of supernatant from activated human T cells was needed but a B-cell response also occurred when EL4B5 cells were preactivated with phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or IL-1. Zubler et al., Immunological Reviews (1987) 99:281; and Zhang et al., J. Immunol. (1990) 144:2955. B-cell activation in this culture system is efficient—limiting dilution experiments have shown that the majority of human B cells can be activated to proliferate and differentiate into antibody-secreting cells. Wen et al., Eur. J. Immunol. (1987) 17:887.
The mechanism by which these mutant EL-4 cells activate both murine and human B cells has not been elucidated previously. It is, however, clear that cell-cell contact is required for EL4B5-induced B-cell activation. First, B cells do not proliferate in the presence of supernatant from PMA-stimulated EL4B5 cells. Zubler et al. (1985) supra. Second, B cells do not proliferate when they are separated from PMA-treated EL4B5 cells by a semipermeable filter membrane. Zhang et al., supra. Antibodies against mouse LFA-1, human LFA-1 or human LFA-3 and antibodies against mouse or human MHC class II molecules do not inhibit EL4B5-induced proliferation of human or murine B cells. Zubler et al. (1987) and Zhang et al., supra.
III. The CD40 Antigen, the CD40 Antigen Ligand, and Anti-CD40 Antibodies
The CD40 antigen is a glycoprotein expressed on the cell surface of B cells. During B-cell differentiation the molecule is first expressed on pre-B cells and then disappears from the cell surface when the B cell becomes a plasma cell. Crosslinking of the CD40 molecules with anti-CD40 antibodies mediates a variety of effects on B cells. The CD40 antigen is known to be related to the human nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) receptor, suggesting that CD40 is a receptor for a ligand with important functions in B-cell activation.
A ligand for CD40 has been identified on the cell surface of activated T cells. Fenslow et al., J. Immunol. (1992) 149:655; Lane et al., Eur. J. Immunol. (1992) 22:2573; Noelle et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) (1992) 89:6550. cDNA cloning of the CD40 ligand revealed a molecule with characteristics of a type-II transmembrane glycoprotein with homology to TNF-α. Armitage et al., Nature (1992) 357:80 and Spriggs et al., J. Exp. Med. (1992) 176:1543. The extracellular domain of the CD40 ligand contains two arginine residues proximal to the transmembrane region, providing a potential proteolytic cleavage site that could give rise to a soluble form of the ligand. Expression of recombinant CD40 ligand has demonstrated that this molecule can stimulate the proliferation of purified B cells and, in combination with IL-4, mediate the secretion of IgE. Armitage et al. and Spriggs et al., supra. It has been reported that abnormalities in the gene for the CD40 ligand, resulting in the absence of a functional molecule on activated T cells, is responsible for the occurrence of X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the inability of these patients to produce normal levels of antibody isotypes other than IgM. Allen et al., Science (1993) 259:990; and Korthäuer et al., Nature (1993) 361:539.
All anti-CD40 antibodies known in the art have a stimulatory effect on human B cells. Cross-linking of the CD40 molecule on the B-cell surface using known anti-CD40 antibodies mediates a variety of effects on B cells. Anti-CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can induce intercellular adhesion, proliferation and, in combination with certain cytokines, maturation to antibody secreting cells. For example, known anti-CD40 mAbs have been shown to mimic the effects of T helper cells in B-cell activation. When presented on adherent cells expressing Fc-γRII, these antibodies induce B-cell proliferation. J. Banchereau et al., Science (1989) 251:70. Moreover, the known anti-CD40 mAbs can replace the T helper signal for secretion of IgM, IgG and IgE in the presence of IL-4. H. Gascan et al., J. Immunol. (1991) 147:8. Furthermore, known anti-CD40 mAbs can prevent programmed cell death (apoptosis) of B cells isolated from lymph nodes.
However, the anti-CD40 antibodies known in the art stimulate B cells but are incapable of inhibiting the B-cell response. Furthermore, no anti-CD40 antibodies are known that are (1) capable of inhibiting the B-cell response and (2) can be used to prevent or treat antibody-mediated disease.